Saboteurs Disrupt Train Traffic in Netherlands

Train services were disrupted across large sections of the railway network in the north and central Netherlands following an act of sabotage.

On September 15, Dutch railway infrastructure operator ProRail reported that unknown individuals had attached pipes to the tracks at about 20 locations, causing several level crossings to be closed during the morning rush hour.

“Everything currently points to an intentional disruption of railway traffic caused by human activity,” ProRail said.

As a result, the railway monitoring system received signals indicating that the tracks at the locations where the pipes had been placed were occupied and unavailable for train traffic.

Footage by Dutch broadcaster NOS also showed long, thin pipes being removed from the tracks. Train services were temporarily suspended around Zwolle in the morning. For some time, trains did not run between Utrecht and Gouda, or between Apeldoorn and Deventer.

“It appears to have been deliberate. Who is behind it remains unknown, and that is part of the police investigation. Placing materials on the tracks is extremely dangerous and unacceptable, and fortunately it did not result in any accidents today,” ProRail added.

Sabotage has occurred in various EU countries. Recently, Germany prevented an attempted act of sabotage targeting two electrical substations.